Before 3000 BCE

Prehistory

From the first human footprints to the dawn of cities.

First Human Settlement of Australia PrehistoryFirst Human Settlement of Australiac. 65,000 BCE · Central AustraliaFirst humans arrive in Sahul via sea crossings, marking the earliest migration out of Africa into Oceania.Creation of Chauvet Cave Paintings PrehistoryCreation of Chauvet Cave Paintingsc. 30,000 BCE · Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, FranceEarly humans create sophisticated animal paintings in deep limestone caves.Lascaux Cave Paintings Created PrehistoryLascaux Cave Paintings Createdc. 17,000 BCE · Dordogne, FranceUpper Paleolithic artists create stunning animal frescoes deep inside limestone caves using natural pigments.Construction of Gobekli Tepe PrehistoryConstruction of Gobekli Tepec. 9500 BCE · Sanliurfa, TurkeyHunter-gatherers build massive stone circles predating agriculture and pottery, challenging assumptions about civilization origins.Domestication of Wheat PrehistoryDomestication of Wheatc. 9500 BCE · Fertile Crescent, Syria/IraqWild grasses are cultivated for food in the Fertile Crescent, sparking the Neolithic Revolution.Emergence of Ubaid Culture in Southern Mesopotamia CivilizationEmergence of Ubaid Culture in Southern Mesopotamiac. 6500 BCE · Tell al-Ubaid, Southern Mesopotamia (Iraq)The Ubaid culture establishes the first widespread agricultural settlement pattern in southern Iraq.Domestication of Rice in the Yangtze Valley CivilizationDomestication of Rice in the Yangtze Valleyc. 4000 BCE · Yangtze River Valley, ChinaRice cultivation begins in the Yangtze River valley, transforming East Asian agriculture and supporting massive population growth.Aboriginal Fire-Stick Farming Practices TechnologyAboriginal Fire-Stick Farming Practicesc. 5000 BCE onwards · Central AustraliaAboriginal Australians develop controlled burning techniques to manage landscapes and enhance biodiversity.Codification of Aboriginal Songlines Across Australia ScienceCodification of Aboriginal Songlines Across Australiac. 5000 BCE onwards · Central AustraliaAboriginal peoples develop Songlines that map the continent through oral narratives and star paths.Final Domestication of Maize from Teosinte in Mesoamerica ScienceFinal Domestication of Maize from Teosinte in Mesoamericac. 5000 BCE · Balsas River Valley, MexicoIndigenous farmers selectively breed teosinte into modern maize (corn).Invention of Cuneiform Script CivilizationInvention of Cuneiform Scriptc. 3400 BCE · Uruk, Sumer (Modern Iraq)Scribes develop the first known writing system using wedge-shaped impressions on clay.